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Tag Archives: Flank Steak Tacos

I like red meat. I know it isn’t as healthy as chicken or fish, but as I say, the Hellbent Living way is eating healthy 85%-90% of the time. Which leaves a little room to splurge. This recipe isn’t actually that big of splurge in my book…or blog. In fact, when I make this recipe I count it as an 85% meal not the 10%-15% of meals where I’m really splurging. I often save those for when I am eating out or having a dinner party. This recipe calls for my Pepper Lime Cilantro Marinade which is low in oil and has no sugar. I portion out 4-5 oz for my serving so I do not overdo it with the calories.

Flank steak is a tough piece of meat so it needs tenderizing. The lime juice in the marinade works well to break down the protein and tenderize the meat. This recipe calls for 2 lbs of flank steak. It can serve 4-8 people depending on serving sizes. I use half the marinade to tenderize and flavor the meat before grilling and the other half as a salsa served on top of the meat. I serve the grilled flank steak with grilled onions and red peppers, and warm corn tortillas. Rice would also go well with this dish instead of the tortillas.

Make marinade. Put flank steak in a gallon size plastic bag, add half the marinade and move it around the bag to cover the steak. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

To grill: Take steak out of refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Heat grill and to medium high and grill 10 minutes on each side. While the steak is grilling, cut up 3 red bell peppers in strips and slice 2 onions and put those on the grill in tin foil…and grill until they are soft.

I like a lot of flavor and a lot of spice in my food. I typically believe the hotter, the better. When it comes to marinades, it’s hard to find one that has big flavor without having a lot of sugar, salt and oil. I kept thinking that there has to be a better way to make a marinade out of great fresh ingredients, that has spice but not all the sugar and fat. So I started to play around with peppers. To me peppers are the perfect vegetable. They are versatile: great in salads, as a side dish vegetable (roasted, or sautéed), an accompaniment to a protein and even as a main dish (stuffed). And as flavoring agents: jalapeños which I love for spice and dried peppers make for wonderful sauces, braises and stews. And they are healthy: a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Folate, Magnesium and Copper, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6 and more.

I used a bunch of fresh peppers (jalapeños, pasillas, anaheims) and puree them in the food processor with other spices like cilantro, garlic, scallions, and a little olive oil and lime juice to provide the acidity needed to break down the proteins…which is basically how a marinade softens and flavors meats. I added very little oil and no sugar. The result was so flavorful. I use it as both a marinade and a salsa in the same dish. If you don’t like food as spicy as I do, you can temper the recipe by using fewer jalapeños.

I have used this beautifully green marinade on chicken breasts, fish, and flank steak. My favorite is using it on flank steak. I usually serve it with corn tortillas. This recipe calls for 2 lbs of flank steak. It can serve 4-8 people depending on serving sizes. I portion out 4-5 oz for my serving so I do not overdo it with the calories. I use half the marinade to tenderize and flavor the meat before grilling. I serve the steak with grilled onions and red peppers and serve with corn tortillas and use the remaining marinade to top off the tortillas. If you want to make a big batch, this freezes well.

Pepper Lime Cilantro Marinade: (makes 3.5 cups of marinade)

4 poblano peppers – stem removed, cut into big chunks, seeds regarded

4 jalapeño peppers — stems removed, sliced. I use the whole pepper with seeds for extra spice. If you want it more mild, discard seeds and white pith and perhaps only use 1-3 peppers, depending on your palate

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Juice of two limes

Half a bunch of cilantro

4 scallions

I teaspoon of coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of black peppercorns

1 clove of garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt

Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Process for 2-3 minutes. Marinade will be finely chopped. It will not be a puree.